A conveyor system is equipment that transfers materials from one location to another at a regular speed. Generally, the conveyor system works in connection with an automation system of a large factory. The conveyor system allows workers to continue to work at their stationary positions without needing to move around while allowing materials or products to be moved between the workers at a regular speed. Thus, a process of producing the materials or the products can be performed conveniently, systematically and efficiently.
Further, in the conveyor system, a conveyor can be moved at a high speed or a low speed depending on a required processing time. Furthermore, high-speed or low-speed conveyors are linked to each other and perform different processing. At this time, however, materials or products that are transferred between conveyors of different speeds suffer a problem that is caused by a difference in the speeds of the conveyors.
In this regard, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2005-231779 (entitled “Merging Conveyor Device”) describes a merging conveyor device that an article conveyed by a low speed conveyor traveling in parallel to a high speed chain conveyor traveling is sideway-shifted from the obliquely lateral direction and is put in the articles on the high speed chain conveyor so as to be conveyed. An upper surface of a side end of the low speed conveyor on the high speed chain conveyor side is provided with a peak holder which is higher than an upper surface of the high speed chain conveyor, the high speed chain conveyor is provided with two double speed chains arranged in parallel to each other, and a bottom keeper is arranged between the double speed chains on a position for receiving a bottom part of the article sideway-shifted from the lateral direction and placed on the high speed chain conveyor.